Result Favors A’s Even if Matchup Did Not

Sonny Gray throwing to first against Jose Iglesias during the eighth inning. Gray held his own against Justin Verlander with a four-hit, nine-strikeout performance, helping to tie the series, 1-1.Credit
John G. Mabanglo/European Pressphoto Agency

OAKLAND, Calif. — At first glance, it looked like a lopsided pitching matchup in favor of the Detroit Tigers. They had Justin Verlander, baseball’s highest paid pitcher, going against a 23-year-old July call-up named Sonny.

But Sonny Douglas Gray, a former Vanderbilt star and 2011 Oakland A’s first-round draft pick, matched Verlander zero for zero and even posted an eighth scoreless inning to Verlander’s seven. But it was not until both starters were gone that the Oakland A’s broke through in the bottom of the ninth inning against Detroit’s bullpen for a tense 1-0 victory on Saturday night at O.co Coliseum.

After leadoff singles by Yoenis Cespedes and Seth Smith off Al Albuquerque and an intentional walk to Josh Reddick, Stephen Vogt lined a single into left-center off Rick Porcello to even the American League division series at 1-1, with Game 3 in Detroit on Monday. If the A’s manage to win the series, there will be much talk about the night Gray held his own against Verlander, with a four-hit, nine-strikeout performance.

“For a 23-year-old kid on the stage he was on tonight, you can’t say enough,” said Vogt, who played with Gray this season at Class AAA Sacramento in the Pacific Coast League.

“The guy was terrific,” Leyland said. “He was aggressive, didn’t back off one second. But let’s not forget what Verlander did. This was postseason pitching — that’s what you saw tonight at its best.”

Much discussion around baseball had focused on Verlander as the season progressed and it became apparent that he was not having a particularly good one, by his 2011 standards. From a 24-5 record with a 2.40 earned run average two years ago, Verlander finished the 2013 regular season with corresponding numbers of 13-12 and 3.46.

On Friday, he readily conceded that teammate Max Scherzer was “without a doubt the best pitcher in the American League” and deserved to start Game 1. As for himself, he added: “We aren’t robots, things aren’t always perfect and this is a season that opened my eyes to that fact.”

More eye-opening was his diminished performance in the aftermath of signing a seven-year, $180 million contract. Verlander seemed to be one more blatant example of overindulgence, with the long-term contract for a 30-year-old pitcher even more of a cautionary tale than for sluggers like Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols.

But Verlander also was also of the opinion that he had worked out his problems over his last few starts and was “where I needed to be.” Nothing he did to start the game suggested he was kidding himself.

He retired the first 11 Oakland hitters and only one, Sogard, hit the ball hard. But Gray, too, was sharp, throwing in the mid-90s. He limited the Tigers to two hits through four innings — a sharp single to left by a limping Miguel Cabrera and an infield single by Don Kelly.

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Both teams failed to exploit scoring chances in the fifth. With runners at first and third and one out, Austin Jackson struck out swinging and A’s catcher Vogt made a brilliant throw to nail the speedy Jose Iglesias trying to steal second to strand Omar Infante at third. That turned out to be the Tigers’ best opportunity.

The A’s promptly got back-to-back singles from Cespedes and Smith against Verlander to start the bottom of the fifth. But Reddick popped up a sacrifice bunt attempt and Verlander struck out Vogt and Sogard.

The A’s threatened again in the seventh, with runners at second and third and two out. Vogt battled Verlander through a 10-pitch at-bat before striking out on a 98-mile-per-hour fastball. Verlander’s 117th pitch of the game was his fastest, and last.

Verlander admitted he was surprised by how resolute Gray was, inning after inning. “The biggest game of his career,” he said. “He had to have a lot of angst and nerves. But he handled himself like a veteran.”

Vogt, however, said he had seen enough of Gray in the minors and in Oakland to expect him to not be overwhelmed.

“You could tell in the bullpen he was going to have a great night,” Vogt said.

Gray said he tried to put the Verlander matchup out of his mind, focusing on the Tigers’ hitters. “I wasn’t looking at it like I was facing Justin Verlander,” he said. “Because if you do that, one of their hitters is going to get you.”

In the end, Gray allowed only five balls out of the infield and made a name for himself on a national stage. But while he was at least Verlander’s equal, it will be a while before he makes more than a fraction of Verlander’s salary. Gray will not be eligible for unrestricted free agency until 2019 — just about the time Verlander’s contract is set to expire.

Verlander followed him into the interview room after the game and told him, “Good job.” It was better than that. It made the series a tossup, although A’s Manager Bob Melvin would only say, “Certainly makes for a nicer flight when you win a game.”

He could thank Vogt for his fifth-inning throw and his game-winning hit. But first and foremost, the night belonged to Sonny Gray.

A version of this article appears in print on October 6, 2013, on Page SP9 of the New York edition with the headline: Result Favors A’s Even if Matchup Did Not. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe